Giving students skills to succeed  Education is an important tool for anyone to get ahead in life, and Rio Tinto have been partnering with The Smith Family since 2003 to provide education opportunities for disadvantaged students in the Kwinana region.

Through the Learning for Life programme, Rio Tinto supports families with costs associated with education such as travel, books, uniforms, and camps.

Established in 1922 in New South Wales, it was Rio Tinto’s original involvement that enabled the Smith Family to establish and staff its first WA programmes in Kwinana six years ago.

Since then The Smith Family has assisted thousands of families with primary, secondary and tertiary study costs in the area.

In 2008, The Smith Family assisted 538 students and more than 38 families in the Kwinana region.

“The Smith Family is dedicated to improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged members of our community,” said Julie Baker, Team Leader at The Smith Family in Kwinana.

“We have a wide range of workshops and programmes that respond to specific community needs, like the Money Minder Financial Literacy Programme.”

The Money Minder programme was introduced in 2008, and was completed by 270 students who gained valuable life skills relating to managing their personal finances.

“Financial Literacy is an important life skill school curriculums have previously not addressed,” Julie said.

“We have had excellent feedback from students and teachers about the programme, and we are looking forward to running more workshops in 2009.”

As Learning for Life continues to grow in Kwinana, the successful model is being replicated in Karratha, Roebourne and Wickham through the Rio Tinto Pilbara Community Partnership Programme.